Mud

One of the biggest surprises in the land of film over the past few years was Matthew McConaughey’s superb performance in The Lincoln Lawyer. His subsequent roles have suggested he’s left behind the genre of lame rom-com’s for good, but is he now again just playing the same part over and over? For Killer Joe, Magic Mike and The Paperboy, you can now also add his character of Mud in Jeff Nichol’s eponymously named film, i.e. the Southern Boy, charming, lackadaisical, but with something mean hidden beneath the surface. Nichol’s film is a coming of age drama which uses the standard template of some kids discovering a person hiding away from society and becoming entangled in a moral maze of should they / shouldn’t they help whilst the locals look on disapprovingly. This isn’t a bad film at all and the youngsters of the cast are refreshingly not annoying. Ironically it’s the main thread of the film that is its weakest point as we don’t really care that much about Mud and McConaughey does little to peak our interest. Blame can be laid at Nichol’s door on that front and question marks remain as to why he stuck with such a clumsy script in which virtually all the reveals are sign posted a mile off. On the plus side the visuals are great and Nichol’s intention to capture the green intensity of young love in one of the sub-plots is painfully captured. For an impressive character study you’re better off with Nichol’s Take Shelter, mind. Rating: 7/10.